


Visit

by V6ilill



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Humor, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Humor, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:27:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28710453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/V6ilill/pseuds/V6ilill
Summary: On their way to Vault 95, Cait visits the Sole Survivor's home
Relationships: Cait & Female Sole Survivor, Cait & Sole Survivor (Fallout), Sole Survivor & Somerville Place Settlers
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3





	Visit

**Author's Note:**

> this story might be confusing because it's slightly diverged from canon. idk where exactly and what kind of AU this is, I just wanted to adopt the somerville place settlers don't @ me

“We goin’ to the Glowin’ Sea or what?” Cait looked at the map flashing green on Vel’s pip-boy “Is that where Vault 95’ll be?”

“There’s a settlement right on the edge,” Vel motioned to a little farm picture on the map “We’ll be staying there.”

“Why would anyone live right next to the Glowing Sea?” Cait stared incredulously at the Sole Survivor “Them settlers got a death wish or what?”

“You’ll see when you get there,” the woman made a sound approximating a chuckle.

“What’ll I see? The geiger counter goin’ nuts?” she raised an eyebrow “A pack o’ deathclaws lookin’ for fresh steak?”

“That too,” Vel nodded “Let’s not dawdle.”

Somerville place consisted of one ruined pre-war dwelling, the collapsed ceiling haphazardly patched with wooden boards, an outhouse and a metal hangar. As soon as Cait got within ten feet of the front door, a large dog barreled right past her, intent on strongly headbutting Vel.

“Down,” she commanded, right before getting knocked over “Down!”

The dog licked her helmet.

“Dogmeat, I swear . . .” Vel began, but the dog bumped his snout against her chest to shut her up.

“Who names their dog THAT?!” Cait threw her hands into the air.

“Me,” said Vel, after getting Dogmeat off of her “You see, I’m not much of an animal lover.”

“Thought you’d have somethin’ super nerdy,” the woman squinted suspiciously “Really, why didn’t you name ‘im Dognak the Barbarian?”

Vel started laughing too hard to answer.

The human inhabitants of the ramshackle settlement showed themselves as well, two children popping out from the house.

“Aw shit! Mom’s back!” the boy yelled “Come on, hide the paint!”

The girl disappeared back into the house.

“They yours?” Cait motioned to the little boy.

“Unfortunately yes,” Vel muttered, then charged at the front door “Lucas, I can hear everything!”

Lucas blanched. Cait couldn’t blame him - was there anything worse than incurring the wrath of a parent? Mayhaps only the wrath of a parent dosed up on Psycho.

The other kid poked her head out of the door, paint cans in hand.

“Here you go, mom,” Lucas gestured to his sister “I- we, um wanted to paint the teddy bears . . . to make them prettier, like the souvenir ones . . .”

“And you didn’t think I would feel very angry over my collection getting ruined?” Vel put a hand on her hip “These aren’t your toys, you know. Besides, we need the paint.”

“Nate told us about the Nuka-Cola souvenir toys, and we thought to make the bears the same colors like the bottles,” the girl explained in the same dry tone her mother favored “Brows is such a dull color and it’s everywhere anyway.”

“It doesn’t matter what you think about colors. The teddy bears belong to me, and you shouldn’t touch them when I’m not here,” the mother looked around “Where is Nate, anyway?”

“He saw a-a radstag in the, um, distance and went hunting,” Lucas stuttered “Mom, I’m um, really sorry, and it was all Abigail’s idea, I swear!”

“Lying scum!” the girl rounded on him, swinging the paint cans around. Paint splattered onto the welcome mat.

“Abigail, watch what your hands are doing,” Vel’s voice gained a harsher edge to it “Lucas, I can see the stain on the wall behind you. Go to the garden shed and bring the broom.”

Abigail breathed in deeply, mouth screwed into a frown. Everyone in the family seemed to know those relaxation techniques.

“You’re not out of the woods either,” Vel turned to her daughter “Put the paint away and get to cleaning the doormat.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Abigal declared.

“It doesn’t matter. You have to clean up after yourself,” Vel scolded “The quicker you get this done, the less you’ll have to worry about it.”

“Ugh,” the girl rolled her eyes and demonstratively arched her back under the supposed weight of the cans.

“Those half-empty cans aren’t that heavy,” said Vel at the sight of Abigail miserably scrunched up.

“Brat,” Cait muttered.

“Not in front of the kids,” the woman chastised.

“Well, yer boy was swearin’ like a raider earlier,” she raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t insult my children where they can hear, I mean,” Vel walked to the red workshop on the side of the house “I am morally against restricting the use of certain words if they are not being used to unjustly harm another person. But that doesn’t mean ýou can say anything here.”

“Huh,” said Cait, the philosophy briefly frying her brain “Wait, what?”

“I’m glad you don’t understand my philosophy,” Vel began piling the 500 tin cans she had accumulated into a wooden chest “If you did, you could actually disagree with me and I’d have to defend my position. What a dreadful thought.”

“In that case, I call bullshit,” Cait smirked “Yer opinion makes as much sense as ridin’ round on a deathclaw.”

“Oh dear,” Vel’s monotone gained an amused quality “Logical argument, my only weakness! Your deeply thought-out thesis breaches the defences of my ideology and strikes hard at my identity as a parent! In desperation, I resort to the ‘no, you!’ argument, the most dangerous tool in my arsenal!”

“No, you,” Cait parroted, mimicking Vel’s dry tone.

Vel demonstratively clutched at her throat “Oh no! I cannot argue with this statement of fact! Woe is me, for I have been defeated!”

“Having an intelligent discussion?” a man, looking like either a broke fortysomething or an emo teen, rounded the corner with a load of carcass.

“Yep, a very sophisticated discussion, Nate” Vel nodded “Not for the likes of you, certainly.”

“Just as the boss’s sayin’,” Cait agreed “We’re all real nerdy here.”

“How dare you,” Nate laughed “I’m a roboticist.”

“Ah yes,” Vel pretended she had forgotten.

“Me too,” said Cait “Me shotguns helps me great - makes nice big holes through ‘em.”

“Hello, mom’s new friend,” he waved to her “I’m Nathan. Mind helping me with the steak?”

“Here was I, thinkin’ he was yer hubby,” Cait glanced at Vel.

“That’s disgusting,” said Nate “Now, is anyone here gonna help with the meat, or is it just smartasses today?”

“Yep, let’s cook,” Cait volunteered.

“Hey, I wanna cook too!” Lucas declared, popping his head out of the doorway.

“Have you removed the stains in the living room?” Vel asked.

“Um, no,” he shook his head “But I can really help with chopping meat!”

“Go clean up your mess,” Vel ordered “Nate, you left them alone for five minutes and they tried to ‘improve’ my collection with copious amounts of yellow paint.”

“Pretty sure it was more like fifteen minutes,” Nathan smiled ruefully “I hope they didn’t touch the blood cans. Those are hard to come by.”

“Blood cans? What are ye bastards doin’ out here?” Cait furrowed her brows. Maybe there was a reason Vel’s family lived so far from civilization . . .

“We’re monitoring the radiation emissions of the Glowing Sea and documenting the heightened mutation rate among the local fauna,” Nathan explained. Cait understood nothing. “In addition, I am currently testing variant RadAway created from glowing fungus native to the Commonwealth.”

“Studyin’ the Glowin’ Sea?” Cait turned to Vel. She nodded like it was the most normal thing in the world to bring your kids into. “Ye all are nuts. Must be hereditary.”

“As if!” Vel laughed “They’re all adopted.”

“Alright then,” Cait went back to skinning the radstag, though why anyone would raise kiddies that weren’t their own remained a mystery.

About the time when the radstag was merrily stewing in the pot, Abigail and Lucas finished cleaning after themselves and surrounded Cait and Vel to demand retellings of their adventures. Vel was happy to indulge them, as if they hadn’t just attempted unforgivable things with her collection of teddy bears.

Vel’s collection of teddy bears. That would take some getting used to.

“Would you like to see my collection, Cait?” the woman asked, gnawing on fresh radstag.

“What’s there ta see? Teddy bears are teddy bears,” Cait shrugged “Unless you got some glowin’ green nightmare toy in there . . .”

“Nothing so extreme yet,” Vel soothed her worries “But I do have a giant teddy bear.”

“We found it in a bus,” Nathan piped up “The driver’s seat, to be more precise.”

“It had a hat!” Lucas gestured “But we lost it.”

“Neat,” Cait nodded “May I take a look?”

“On the living room shelf,” Vel pointed to the dilapidated pre-war building “Don’t do anything suspicious.”

“Yeah. Mom’s gonna skin you if you breathe wrong at those bears,” Abigail muttered rebelliously.

“Hell she won’t,” Cait snorted “Long as I don’t bring paint.”

“Urgh,” said Abigail.

Cait’s own parents would’ve surely beaten her blue for being so insolent. But Vel didn’t even scold Abigail.

The teddy bears were indeed inside. As soon as Cait stepped over the welcome mat, past a chair and cat bowl on the porch, she found herself face-to-face with a rotating magazine rack, filled to the brim with comic books and Massachusetts Surgical Journal. To the left, there were two shelves filled with kitchen apparel and a table with two chairs. No wonder the family cooked and ate outside.

The collection shelf was in the far corner of the room, next to a rocket-emblazoned rug and straw pillows for the kids. Lo and behold, the giant among bears sat aloft it, looking down at Cait with its guileless beady eyes. Below it, smaller teddy bears were haphazardly stuffed inside the shelves.

The big bear seemed very soft, like the comfy pillow Vel always carried with her. Seemingly on their own, Cait’s hands found the soft plush, wrapping around the stuffed toy. She lifted it up and lightly squished the teddy bear against her chest.

“Now you see why I collect them,” Vel noted, having capitalized on Cait’s momentary distraction and appeared from thin air like a demon to torment her.

“I didn’t mean to,” said Cait, putting the toy back “Just thought it’d be very soft and squishy, and, well, things went from there . . .”

“Everyone needs a hug now and then,” Vel shrugged “Even if they can never hug another person.”

“Yeah, I’d punch whoever tried that,” Cait nodded.

“I share the sentiment.” the woman found, setting new magazines into the rack “I wish I could make an exception with the kids, but . . .”

Cait knew not to ask further. Instead, she idly regarded the bedroom. It had only three beds.

“Why’d you make this all?” she gestured to the room “This little sanctuary on the edge of the Glowin’ Sea for three kiddos that aren’t even yours?”

“Because they’re my children,” Vel stated plainly “I know you don’t quite understand what this means to non-asshole parents, but Luke, Abby and Nate mean the world to me. I would give anything for them. When I found them, they were just more orphans to help, but soon afterwards . . .”

“Noble callin’ you’ve got yourself,” Cait nodded.

“I know. I want them to grow up better than I did,” she laced her fingers together “Have a better childhood than what I’ve been given.”

The wind rustled outside, leaves fluttering in from the broken windows.

“If ye wanted kids so bad, why didn’t ya just have yer own?” Cait asked.

“Even if I could, my bloodline is tainted. I wouldn’t dare let it continue,” Vel said distantly, gazing at the wall “I have bedrolls in the garden shed, come, I’ll show you.”

Cait gazed out at the nightmarish metal contraption. “THAT’s a garden shed? God’s giant goldfishies, if that’s a garden shed, what’d you call a workshop?!”

“I just had a lot of steel laying around,” Vel shrugged.

Inside, there were several workstations, a bobblehead stand and a few bedrolls in the far corner, where the ceiling had the least holes. Some dried shrubs poked out between the floorboards, swaying gently in the breeze.

“Why’s there two doors?” Cait marched over to the other one.

“I have built a back entrance in case of fire,” said Vel, examining the assorted tools.

Next to the door was another cat bowl. Seven identical gray cats clustered around it, meowing agitatedly.

“That’s a lotta kitties,” Cait blinked “Where’d you get so many?”

“Well, I’m not exactly an animal lover,” Vel began, convincing exactly no one “But the kids insisted on a dog, then a cat, but the cat turned out female, and things went downhill from there. Now I’m researching pre-war neutering techniques without much luck.”

“Least there’s no mice in the corn,” Cait postured optimistically.

“I sure hope,” Vel ground out “Close the door! I can’t have cats running around my workshop!”

“Sure thing, boss,” Cait agreed, pushing a large metal board in the face of a poor kitty’s hopes and dreams.

Unfortunately, the other door had been left ajar.

“Fluffy, no!” squealed Vel and began chasing the infernal creature out.

“That’s Daisy, not Fluffy,” said Abigal, having turned up out of nowhere “Daisy! Daaaaaaiiiiisyyyyy, I have tuuuuuuunaaaaa!”

The cat followed its young master out, tail held high in the anticipation of a meal.

“That’s not how you teach good manners” Vel sighed “But at least it’s gone.”

“What’s a tuna?” Cait wondered.

“Hell if I know,” Vel shrugged “That’s what Abby calls everything she feeds the cats. She read in an old book that cats really like tuna.”

“Neat plan,” Cait shrugged.

The setting sun colored the sky a flaming orange. Vel took to the weapons workbench to fix up her nerdhammer. Cait looked outside, where Nathan sat on the porch, sipping nuka-cola from a glass. Abigal and Lucas were playing fetch with the dog. Something inside Cait constricted as she watched the children play, trying to remember if she had ever done the same. Trying to remember whether she had ever wanted a dog, or a cat, or a real bed, or if she had never dreamed of anything because she knew she would achieve nothing.

“I know the feeling,” Vel spoke quietly behind her “I’m jealous of them myself on the days my father’s words ring clear in my head.”

“What’d he say?”

“He said he loved me. He said he loved my mother.”

“Lies?”

“The truth.” Vel laughed bitterly “How I wish he hadn’t!”

Nathan rose from the porch and went inside. The setting sun dipped behind the horizon and Vel went to put her children to bed.


End file.
